1. Field of the Invention
An adjustable hydrocarbonates recovery apparatus, designed with collecting and recovery components, some of which are temperature controlled so that various type of oil floating on or about the water surface can be recovered, whatever their temperature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many attempts have been made to recover oil from spills by way of pumping the oil with pipes into reservoir after it has been contained by floating dikes. This way proves inefficient because it is very time consuming and that a too great proportion of water is gathered with the oil, and as such the problem of oil separation still remains. Our collecting system relies on the principle of the cohesivetess of oil and its adherence to certain materials from which it is recovered. In this manner very little water is collected with the recovered oil, only few droplets that sticks to oil surface are recovered with the oil.
Most patents with discs generally disclose equipment that includes small size, thin vertical discs, closely mounted near one another on a rotating shaft. These apparatus are used for small spill of light oil and in ideal temperature conditions. If the type of oil is too thick, or if it becomes too viscous on account of the temperature, the apparatus has a tendency to get clogged with oil and becomes ineffective. Contrary to these apparatus the present invention is using large size well spaced discs, few in numbers 2, 3, or 4 and having a wide thickness.
The discs are terminated in a cone shape form, their exterior walls being oblique, it providing a greater space between each disc, so that there is less danger of oil clogging between discs.
Furthermore since a certain amount of water droplets is dragged with the rotating discs as they collect oil, large size discs having a longer trajectory than smaller discs will allow more time for the water to recede off from the oil being collected. So bigger discs recover less water with oil, in proportion with smaller ones.
Most of patents that utilize conveyor belts or rollers move in a contradictory rotation. They rotate from the bottom towards the front of the device where oil is to be collected. In this manner a current is stimulated on the surface water by the belts or rollers. This current has a tendency to repel the oncoming oil and its collection becomes inefficient. In our case, the cylinder, oil scoops and disc rotate from the top, as a starting point, towards the front of apparatus and into the oil spill, where oil is collected and transferred under water toward the back all the way to the top where it is recovered. In this manner, a coming current is created on the water, which attracts the oil towards the collection devices and improves the oil collection.
Our invention utilizes a three way collecting system that works separately but simultaneously and is unique among the others. The oil collection is made first by rollers, then by oil scoops located in the interspace between the two rollers, the third oil collection is made by vertical discs wrapped around the rotating roller. This plurality of oil collection means improves the rate of oil collection in regards to other apparatus of the same size.
Unlike other patents where oil recovery is limited to oil having the desired viscosity, as determined by the type of oil involved and its temperature, our invention is equipped with recovery means that are temperature controlled, so that all types of oil can be recovered at all times. The proper fluidity necessary for oil recovery and transportation is maintained through temperature control in such components as oil deflectors with scrapers, the oil scoops between rollers and into the oil reservoir with transportation screw.
Contrary to some patents which have regulated temperature applied to collecting components, in the present invention, it is the recovery elements as named above that are temperature controlled and regulated in accordance to the temperature of collection means.